Dziedzic likes new rules changes for freestyle wrestling

Paul Reinhard Of The Morning CallTHE MORNING CALL

Cleaning out the notebook while moving across town from the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials to the Indianapolis 500:

Freestyle wrestling is going to have a different look following the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and while the changes are sure to be a cause for temporary anxiety among the purists of the sport, they may be just what it needs to attract more spectator interest.

Stan Dziedzic, an Allen High graduate and president of USA Wrestling, took time out to discuss the state of the sport, and part of that has to do with how wrestling is perceived in the international sports community and among potential fans in the U.S.

A dwindling number of weight classes at the Olympic Games, a shrinking number of wrestling teams at major colleges to produce future Olympians, Title IX issues and the introduction of women to international competition are among the things that keep Dziedzic occupied on the "hobby" side when he's not busy on the executive side with Lehman Bros. in Atlanta.

The proposed rules changes will have people looking at international wrestling in a different way. The most radical change will be in how a bout is scored, and the new format is taken from sports like tennis.

Each period will be an entity unto itself. A wrestler might win the first period 5-0, then lose the second 1-0. Under the current format, he would be a 5-1 winner. Under the new setup, the two wrestlers will be tied at one period each, with the winner of the third period winning the bout.

"It eliminates the situation where a guy makes one move for five points and the match is basically over," Dziedzic said. "Now it's not over. Every period has a climax. This should add excitement."

A pin, of course, ends the bout at any time; and Dziedzic said that scoring a designated number of points in a period also will be a special consideration.

On the surface, I love it. I'm sure lots of loopholes will have to be closed before the final version is released, but it seems like a positive step.

Another change will deal with freestyle's clinch. A clinch forces the two wrestlers to lock arms around one another's upper body and then muscle each other for points.

That system will remain for Greco-Roman wrestlers, who are not permitted to use their legs. Dziedzic said that freestyle, however, will go to a single-leg lock, which is more in line with that style.

It makes perfect sense to differentiate one style of wrestling from another.

Dziedzic's two-year tenure as USA Wrestling president ends this year, but he figures to serve another two. He hopes to leave the sport better off than when he took office.

Trenge is wrestling's loss: Jon Trenge didn't deposit his wrestling shoes at the center of the mat to indicate his retirement from international competition, but he could have.

And while watching him compete at 211.5 pounds in the Trials, I couldn't help but think that when the former Parkland High star completes his career at Lehigh next spring -- as an NCAA champion, if he has anything to say about it -- the sport will lose a guy who might have done some great things if given the typical wrestler's competition span.

It is impossible to question Trenge's reasoning. Certainly, eyesight for the rest of his life must take precedence over a 10-year hunt for medals. Every time he gets hit in the area of his eyes, it is a major risk. As much as he loves the exhiliration of victory, the contrasting downside is too much.

Watching him take on more experienced wrestlers like Dominic Black, Dean Morrison and Tommy Rowlands here served to prove on thing: Trenge belongs in their class.

When all was said and done, I think he believes that, too. And, the knowing will have to be enough.